Their Lord and Master
by ThatAnonymousAnnie
Summary: The Master wakes up in Torchwood... in a parallel Universe. He stumbles upon the Tyler's, Pete, Jackie, and Rose, and hatches a Master plan to create nuclear war across the planet, using ill-gained power to enact his plan. Who can stop him? Can the Master's plan be shut down, or will the parallel world be decimated, reducing the Doctor's beloved Rose to charred remains...
1. Chapter 1

His eyes fluttered open, eyelids heavy from the burden of sleep. Groggily looking around him, he found himself in a sort of cell. It was stone, and extremely grimy, with one wall completely made of bulletproof glass. As he sat up on the filthy cot he was laying on, he looked at the one wall and found a girl staring back at him. She was in her twenties, with shoulder-length blonde hair and rich brown eyes. When she saw he was awake, she smiled kindly. "Hello." She said softly. "My name's Rose."

"Where am I?" he wondered. "You're in Torchwood."

"No, where _am_ I?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that. Torchwood in Denver, Colorado, America. Y'know. Earth." She explained. "You fell through a rip in the fabric of space and time and ended up here. Do you know who you are?" Rose inquired. He put his hand to his feverish head, and then he remembered who he was. "I'm the Ma—No, sorry, I'm Harold Saxon. Just Harold Saxon." Saxon said. Then, a small child tottered into the room, holding a toy plane and whining to Rose, asking her to fix it. "One minute, Tony. I'm busy." She said. Harold jumped up and knelt by the glass wall, gesturing to Tony. "I can fix that." He offered. Rose smiled and unlocked the door built into the glass wall, letting the Doctor out. He took the toy from Tony and made a few slight adjustments before handing it back to the child. "Good as new, eh?" he said, ruffling the child's short blonde hair. "That's my brother." Rose explained. Harold nodded. "D'you happen to remember anything that might've happened before you fell through the rip?" she asked. Saxon tried to remember. All he could conjure up was his last moments…

_The Master concentrated all his efforts into blasting the Time Lords with energy from his hands. He could feel himself slowly dying… slowly deteriorating. The Doctor was behind him, still holding the gun. A flash of light… and then nothing. _

"No. I don't remember anything. How did you find me?" he lied, quickly changing the subject. "Simple really. The spike in electromagnetic radiation showed up on our readings, so all we had to do was to find the source and confiscate anything, or person, we found there." Rose led him into a large underground cavern, filled with machinery. "D'you mind if we do a few tests on you? Just to make sure you're… safe." She said cautiously. Saxon frowned. "No. I don't really think you want to do tests on _me_." He said, tapping a four-beat tempo on a table by his side. Rose's expression went from confused to slightly dazed. 1-2-3-4. "You'd much rather let me work with some of this equipment." His voice soothed her. Still, he tapped the four beats. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Rose snapped out of the trance. "What for?" she demanded. Saxon looked around him, shrugging, still tapping the beat. "I want to build something. That's quite alright, isn't it?"

1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. "Yeah… that'll be fine. Just… be careful." She murmured. Saxon grinned and ceased tapping. "D'you have somewhere to stay? Just until we can get you sorted?" Rose inquired as he rifled through a large box filled with alien junk. "No." he said over his shoulder. "You can stay with me, my mum, and my dad if you'd like. God knows we 'ave enough room." She offered. Saxon paused to look back at her. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Rose." He said. She smiled and nodded and he thought he caught her blushing, but then she ducked around him and began working on the computers. Silence filled the room, broken only by the constant, consistent drum beat filling the Master's mind. He needed something to distract him. "Do you have a husband? Boyfriend?" he inquired, still going about his work. Rose smiled softly to herself, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah. His name's John Smith. He's great, really great. I love him to bits, y'know?" she said dreamily. Saxon frowned, but didn't let her see it. "I know a man who went by the name John Smith."

"Yeah? Were you mates then?"

"When we were children. But then… things happened. Now you could say we're enemies."

"That's a bit of bad luck then, isn't it?"

"This… John Smith, what's he like?"

"He's wonderful. We go on adventures, and he—"

"What sorts of adventures?"

Rose seemed startled at Saxon's sudden interest in her fiancé. "Um, well, I dunno. We just… travel around, I suppose. We used to go all sorts of places, we explored all the far corners of the Uni—Um… Earth."

"Where do you explore now?"

"What're you doin' that for?" Rose inquired suddenly. Saxon found himself once again mindlessly tapping the four beats on the box, but much louder and with more force. He reminded himself to stay below suspicion for the girl. "I apologize. Bad habits." He said quickly. Too quickly. Rose stopped talking, glancing away from the computer only long enough to give him a suspicious glance.

"Mr. Saxon, we've gotta go. I'm off work about now, and Marie'll be comin' in any minute. Could you finish with that and meet me at the door? If you want, you can come back tomorrow and keep workin'." Rose said. Harold put down the supplies and tools he was using and stood. He had just built a T.A.R.D.I.S. console, and would be concentrating his efforts on the rest of the machine the next day. "Please, Rose. Call me Harry. My friends call me Harry." He objected. Rose left the large room and disappeared into a hallway branching off from it. Harry could hear the distant echoes of her voice from the front door of the facilities. "C'mon, Tony. It's time to go. Mum and dad'll be home by now. Don't you wanna see them?" she soothed. Soon after, Tony was clutching her hand as she resurfaced in the larger room and made her way through the maze of equipment to the front door. "Thanks for waiting." She smiled at Harry. He smiled back and waited for her to go first through the door, grinning malevolently to himself. He reached into his pocket and gripped the sonic blaster and laser screwdriver, the sonic blaster which he had swiped from Torchwood earlier that day, and the laser screwdriver which had been already in his pocket when he died and woke up in the cell. "How old is he?" Saxon asked as Rose locked the door behind her and strode into the elevator. "He's gonna be six in a month."

"He's your brother?"

"Yeah." Rose said, looking adoringly down at him as he made engine noises and twirled the plane in the air while the elevator ascended. "D'you take him here often?" Saxon inquired. Rose nodded, and again, silence overwhelmed Saxon. The drums pounded in his skull. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Over and over, that same beat every time. And they were closer than ever now, they were so loud and forceful and violent the Master could hardly stand it. But he put on a façade of being normal, of not being able to hear the drums, the never-ending drums, and rode silently alongside Rose in the elevator to the surface of the Earth.

The elevator slowed to a halt and the doors pried themselves open, allowing the Master and Rose, along with little Tony, out into the fresh, open air. They called a cab and were driven to Pete Tyler's estate in the suburbs. Rose unlocked the door quickly and let go of Tony's hand once they were inside. He sprinted into Rose's mother, Jackie's open arms and once he let go of her to go find his father, Peter Tyler, Jackie embraced Rose, casting a quizzical glance at Harold Saxon. "Who's this, then? I hope it's not another delinquent. You know I don't like them in my house. Go on, introduce me." She urged. Rose rolled her eyes and gestured to Jackie. "Harry, this is Jackie, my mum. Mum, this is Harold Saxon."

"That's a nice name. Saxon…" she sounded it out. "Yes, I quite like that name. Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in. Dinner's just out of the oven, it's nice and hot. How long are you staying?" she demanded. Harold was taken back that the woman could say all of that in one breath. "I dunno. Enough time to find a proper job and a place to stay." He explained. Jackie put one manicured hand on his shoulder, dragging him into the kitchen and seating him at the table. "Well, you can stay as long as you like. God knows we've got the room, isn't that right Rose? Yes well you can stay here, we've figured that much out, but where can you get a job? You can't work at a shop, you look much too… sophisticated for a shop. You could go as a model. Yes, you'd make piles of money as a model. You can certainly fit the requirements…" she said, looking him up and down. He squirmed and Rose jumped to his aid. "Mum!" she exclaimed, and Jackie turned sheepishly back to her cooking. "Sorry Harold. How about politics? I'd imagine Peter can help you with that, he's close friends with America's Prime Minister."

Saxon froze. "America has a prime minister? Isn't Britain the country with the prime minister?" he inquired. Jackie laughed heartily. "Ha! Where've you been livin', then? Of course America has a prime minister, almost _every_ country has a prime minister. Well, except for Russia. They're adamant that the rules stay the same. One King, one religion, it's madness!" Jackie screamed, sliding the pot roast out of the oven. Rose slid into the seat beside Harold. "I think I know what's going on with you…" she said, peering into his eyes. "You're from the parallel Earth, aren't you? That's why you're surprised America has a prime minister…" she diagnosed. Jackie set the table with expensive china plates and cups. "What's that? You're from parallel Earth? We used to live in parallel Earth. That was back when Rose was travelling with the Doctor." Jackie sighed sadly. The Master's ears perked up. _The Doctor?_ At the thought of his name, the drums pounding in the Master's head quickened. _This must be the infamous Rose Tyler. The Doctor's lover. Oh, imagine his reaction when he discovers I have her and her family in the palm of my hands…_

"Harold? Harold! Are you okay?" Rose's voice broke through his thoughts. He found himself tapping the beat again. He didn't understand… couldn't they hear the drums as well? The pounding of the drums, coming closer and closer and louder and louder with time? Didn't it just drive them mad? "Don't worry, I'm fine." He lied as Jackie set the pot roast in the middle of the table. "Rose, go find Pete and Tony. They're probably in the living room, watching the telly. Take Harold here and introduce him to Pete." She ordered. Rose complied and gestured for the Master to follow her through the large house and into a cozy room filled with various seating arrangements and a television. On the television was a soccer game, and Peter, along with Tony, were vigorously cheering for their team. "Dad!" Rose flicked the TV off. Pete moaned in distaste. "What is it, Rose? We were winning!"

"Mum says dinner's ready."

At that, Peter leaped off the couch, dragging Tony behind him, and almost sprinted to the dining room, where the table was covered in plates heaped with steaming food. Everyone sat at the table and dug in. "Parallel Universe, and Mum can cook!" Rose joked, provoking laughs from everyone gathered around. Pete shoveled a forkful of shepherd's pie into his mouth. "Tell you what. Jackie here is the best cook!"

"When she couldn't cook a pizza without burnin' it to death back home." Rose laughed. Harold joined in the merriment. The pounding drumbeats in his head slowly began to fade and quiet, and this cleared his head so he could think. "Peter! Jackie mentioned you might be able to get me a job in politics?" he asked, turning to Peter. He shrugged, his mouth stuffed with food. "I suppose," he said after swallowing. "I'd have to see your credentials first. Come to think of it, there is a position open as chief of the Department of Labor."

"Excellent. And, um, who is president of America here?"

"Mitt Romney is close to the end of his term. The elections start next month. Personally, we'll vote for Romney again. We think he did a fantastic job with the economy." Pete said. He stuffed his mouth again. "Why?" Rose inquired. After he finished off his plate, Harold Saxon excused himself and asked to use their computer. Of course, they all complied, and he rushed upstairs to the office, looking himself up. Nothing on Harold Saxon. Oh well. He forged an entire lifetime in the parallel world. He only had to do it again, and it was exceedingly simple for him.

"Harry?" Jackie poked her head into the room, knocking softly on the door to the study. 1-2-3-4. Saxon smirked to himself and whirled around, folding his hands together. "What is it, sweetheart?" he asked sweetly. Jackie smiled and blushed. "Pete, Rose, Tony and I are turning in. I just wanted to tell you that there's a guest bedroom at the end of the hallway. It has a computer and a telly in it, and you can stay up as late as you want. Just… Tony's a light sleeper." She winced, most likely recalling many sleepless nights caused by the young boy. Harold nodded, and Jackie was about to leave, when he called her back in.

"Jackie?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Rose… she said she had a fiancé."

"John Smith."

"Yes, John Smith. When's the wedding?"

"Five months. I'm so excited, I have her out shopping for wedding dresses and arrangements on the weekends." Jackie said dreamily. Saxon nodded and dismissed her, turning back to his work. "Almost finished." He said to himself, typing in a few more details about his falsified life.

When he was finally finished, he made his way to his bedroom, so kindly given to him by the Tylers, but all he could think about was Rose and John Smith. Could it be possible that John Smith was the Doctor in disguise? He didn't doubt it, the Doctor often used the name John Smith when he wanted to appear human. And he'd heard from many a credible witness that Rose Tyler was the Doctor's lover. He switched the telly on and stripped out of his black hoodie and the red shirt that lie underneath, leaving himself in only his black jeans, then slid into the large King-sized bed and cozied in. A reality show. The Master laughed at their stupidity and rifled through the pocket of the hoodie, pulling out his laser screwdriver. He slid his hand along the silver and gold rod, itching to use it. He tucked the laser screwdriver in the drawer of the bed stand and fell asleep to the quiet murmuring of the telly.

"Rose, don't wake him!" Jackie's high-pitched, demanding voice was what woke the Master. He sat up groggily in bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Mum, if he wants to go to work with me, he has to wake up _now_." She insisted. Despite Jackie's protests, she pushed open the door and stormed in on Harold sliding out of bed, still shirtless. "Oh, sorry Harry. I, um, didn't know you were awake. Sorry." She mumbled, stumbling out of the room. "What is it? What're you blushing for?" Jackie's loud voice permitted easy eavesdropping. Rose's quiet whisper, and Jackie stormed into Harold's room, pausing to stare at his bare chest before telling him off. "Now you better get dressed and ready now. If you'd like I can take you shopping after work and we can find you some nice suits. Pete pulled a few strings and got you a job in the D.O.D. You're the chief of the Department of Defense now. That's nice, isn't it? Now hurry up and get dressed. You've got today off, and Rose told me you were going to Torchwood with her to work on a project. What're you building? Something to get you back to the other Earth? Oh, I know. Are you curing cancer? Because we've already cured diabetes and a lot of sexually transmitted diseases but we haven't quite figured out cancer yet, so perhaps—"

"You can stop now." He demanded. Jackie's eyes glazed over and she smiled slightly. "Yes, of course." She murmured. Jackie left, and Saxon quickly pulled on his shirt and hoodie before making his way downstairs after turning the telly off. He met Rose in the entry hall and was handed an omelet on a plate. "Quick breakfast. I've gotta be at Torchwood by six, and it's already 5:45. Let's go, we'll take a cab. Dad's gotta use the van." She explained. The Master nodded and ate the omelet on the way to Torchwood, finishing it off when they arrived. "Where's Tony?" he questioned. Rose turned away to unlock the door and stepped inside. "Mum's got him today." She said. As soon as they were inside, the Master sprinted to the console to ensure nobody messed with it. He was relieved to find it was fine, and added a few more gadgets before finishing with the console and moving on to one of the computers. He had to make sure nothing penetrated the rock-solid past he'd created for himself. All he had to do now was to launch Archangel Network. He set up a PowerPoint presentation and fine-tuned the details, readying to present his idea to the critics. He excused himself and slipped into the room with the cells, one of which he had been housed, and whipped out his cell phone, calling several good friends of Pete's and scheduling a meeting to see the board and present his idea. "I feel like this one's a game-changer, Norris." He said, making pleasant small talk. "Yes, thank you _so_ much." His voice flowed like honey, thick with hypnotism. He tapped his laser screwdriver on the wall, making sure the noise was audible through the receiver. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. He ended the call, smirking and chuckling quietly, though his laugh was ripe with madness. "Humans," he said to himself. "So _stupid_!"

"What does that make you then?" Rose's voice was accusing. Harold whirled around, caught red-handed. "Hm? If humans are so stupid, what does that make you?" she demanded. He smiled and began tapping the beat again, but Rose lunged for him and snatched the laser screwdriver out of his grip. "What's this? A sonic screwdriver?"

"_Laser_. Who'd use sonic?" he corrected her. "I don't care _what_ it is. Tell me who, or what, you really are!" Rose demanded. The Master held his hands up, making eye contact with her. "I am the Master. I am a Time Lord. I suppose you know what that is, from your travelling with the Doctor." he said. Rose tried to say something, but he already had her in a hypnotic state. Her eyes glazed over, and she smiled dreamily. "You were just working, weren't you? And how'd you end up here?" the Master interrogated. Rose frowned. "I... I don't know."  
"That's right. Now go back and work on your computer."  
Rose absent-mindedly followed his orders and meandered back to her computer, where she shook out of her trance, but had no idea of the events that had just occurred. The Master smiled. Now his plan was to fall into place.

"Yes, I have a meeting with the board tomorrow about Archangel. You wouldn't mind giving me another day off, now would you?" 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Pete's eyes glazed over. "No, no, of course not. I'll talk to your administrators tonight." he said. Saxon smiled and stood, brushing his sharp suit off and making his way up the long flights of stairs and into his bedroom, where he logged on to the computer. He sent a quick email to his boss, demanding a meeting at 5:00 that day. He quickly recieved his reply. Of course his boss would meet with him. Perfect. The Master leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together and basking in his victory. His plan was almost in completion! What more did he need? The Doctor. He needed the Doctor. That would be no hard task, one appearance on TV and he would come running, flinging himself at the Master's feet. And then he could be disposed of. Simple. Saxon laughed at human stupidity and the Doctor's sympathy. As why should he not? He was the grand Master! Master and Commander! Their Lord and Master.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone finished with their celebratory meal, Harold paid the bill, despite Jackie and Pete's protests, and they walked out of the restaurants with full bellies. "So, Harry, when is Archangel launching?" Rose inquired.  
"One night more and every telephone in America will be automatically installed with Archangel Network."  
"And how'd you manage that?"  
"I have my ways." they trekked the rest of the way to Harold's manor before the Tyler's called a cab and waved goodbye through the rear-view mirror. Saxon waved happily after them, and then scowled and trudged inside the house, pulling his tie and suit jacket and hung them on the banister of the stairway upstairs. Instead of climbing the stairs to his room, he instead slipped through a secret door and climbed _down_ a flight of stairs, emerging in a laboratory filled with extra-terrestrial equipment and machinery. In one corner of the lab was the T.A.R.D.I.S. console; in another was the setup for Archangel. With expertise, the Master flew around the room, twiddling with equipment and welding things together. The entire night he worked like this, building something inhuman. "The Doctor isn't here to stop me, and this time, I will win." he said to himself determined.

Finally, after a long, long night, his invention was complete. A large arch, standing to one side of the room, that could emit electromagnetic waves to change the Master's physical form. He plucked a hair off of his hoodie and insterted it into a large tray, which read the DNA of the piece and was prepared to be inserted into the subject, changing his DNA. The DNA the Master had inserted was the DNA of his previous self, when his life force was depleting, but he was more powerful than he'd ever been, only this time, his life force would not weaken. The machine was designed to strengthen the DNA if it had any faults, so the Master would be nearly unstoppable. He stood under the arch and pressed a button, and screamed in pain as the waves surged through him.

"Master? Master, are you alright? I'm sorry, but I heard screaming and became worried, so I came down and-" the Master put a finger to her lips and silenced her. The maid pulled away in surprise. "You shouldn't have come." he said gruffly. Suddenly, he raised a hand and sent a surge of energy pulsing through her, killing her instantly. Harold Saxon struggled to his feet and shook his head clear of the cobwebs. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Soft and far-away at first, the drum beats were louder and closer than ever. He clamped his hands to his ears, gritting his teeth, trying to block it out, but to no use. He dragged himself up the stairs and out the door of his house, only snatching his coat on his way out. He didn't bother with any of his cars, instead walked to the house of Rose Tyler. Foggy memories invaded his mind. The Doctor, his pleading face, his large, brown eyes. Those three words. Those three dreaded words. "I forgive you." They bounced around in his skull, almost as loud as the never-ending drums. 1-2-3-4. "I forgive you." 1-2-3-4. "I forgive you." 1-2-3-4. Finally, without realizing it, he reached the Tyler house and let himself in using the key Jackie and Pete had given him. He left the door open, the key jammed in the lock. He knew where he wanted to go. He knew who in this house he could use against his oldest enemy and his dearest friend.

He sat on the foot of her bed, looking down on her sleeping, peaceful face. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. The drums were driving him mad. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. "Rose." he rasped. "Rose Tyler." Her eyes fluttered open, looking groggily down at him. "Harry? It's early, what d'you want?" she moaned. He averted his gaze. "Can't you hear them?"  
"Hear what?"  
"Can't you hear the beating of the drums? The never-ending drums, coming closer and closer."  
"I don't hear anything. You're just tired, go back to bed."  
"Yes but I can't, Rose." he said, sliding off the bed and kneeling beside her face. He rested his arms on the mattress and his chin on his wrists. "I can't ever go to sleep. Don't you see? They never stop, they just keep pounding and pounding, beating and beating. Closer and closer and closer and closer. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4." At this, he began tapping the beat furiously on the bed stand. Rose, now concerned, sat up, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Harold, you're going mad! It's the stress of the election, isn't it? It's only next week, you still have time to drop out." she said. The Master sighed in frustration and then put his hands to her temples, touching his forehead to hers. "Listen!" he demanded. Her eyes widened in horror, and she yanked away. "What is that?" she demanded. "It's the never-ending drums.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose stared at the Master in horror. "What the hell…?" she demanded. The Master laughed, a tone of insanity creeping in his voice. "The drums. They never stop. Just pounding and pounding and they're closer and closer all the time. Can't you hear it? Tell me you can hear it, Rose!" he snarled, spittle flying from his mouth in a fit of rage. Rose cowered from the insane man, trembling. "Who are you, really?" she interrogated, trying to keep her voice steady. "I am the Master."  
"Sounds like-"

"A Time Lord name? Yes, the Doctor is right to love you. You are clever, aren't you?"  
"Does that mean...?"  
"It does. I am a Time Lord."  
"What about the Doctor; he said he was the last one!"  
The Master snickered. "Well, the Doctor doesn't tell you everything, does he? Even now, he has no idea that I'm alive. He thought me dead, sacrificing myself for him." Rose seemed to grow calmer at the sound of that. "And... did you?" she wondered, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. "It depends on how you look at it."  
Rose's breathing was shallow. "Why did you come to me?" she asked softly. The Master stood, pacing the room. "I wanted to see if it was true. Why would the Doctor love such a stupid human? When he could have literally any woman on this planet! I needed to know what is so _special_ about you? Who is the famous 'Rose Tyler'? Answer me. _Answer me_!" the Master's words ended in a scream. Rose heard her mother and father waking with a start. "What...? What's happened? Is everything alright?" Pete demanded, storming into Rose's room. The Master whirled around and blasted him with a stream of energy flowing from his palms, blasting the poor man to the ground. Jackie rushed to his side, cradling Pete's head in her arms. "Peter! Peter, are you alright?" she screamed frantically. His eyes fluttered open. "I-I'm fine. Don't worry, Jackie, I'm alright." he said weakly. She stared in horror up at the Master. "The elections are tomorrow." he stated out-of-the-blue. "Be sure to 'Vote Saxon'."

The sea of adoring fans and drooling politicians. The podium, on which Saxon was to present his final speech to sway the nation. Things in the parallel Universe worked much differently than they did in the original Earth. Being elected President was much easier. Saxon's rivals went before him, and then it was finally his turn to present. He placed his hands on the podium, taking a long, deep breath. "People of America! Who do you want for your President? A sniveling, greedy, ruthless politician that will stop at nothing to burn this nation to the ground, or an intelligent, kind, strategic leader who will stop at nothing to guarantee the restoration of the glory and honor of this brilliant country? I know what many of you are thinking. A _British President_? That's absurd! But I assure you, nothing about _me_ is absurd. So, if you're to remember just one thing about this presentation, just _one, _remember this: Vote Saxon!" he finished, his hands raised in the air and a broad smile on his face, basking in the glory of his admirers. Archangel Network had done its job properly, and hypnotized most of the nation. Once the program was installed into the telephone, it would discreetly hypnotize the user, employing the four beats always pounding in the Master's head. And the program was indeed successful. Harold Saxon won the election by a landslide, leaving only one hundred voters that did not vote for him. He had won. Harold Saxon was now President of the United States of America (and the Republic of Georgia). His first plan of action was to eliminate every single stinking politician in the Cabinet.

"The meeting is in session!" he said with excitement. He sat on the large wooden chair at the front of the room, with his hands moving across the smooth oak of the arms, surveying his kingdom. "I've called you all here with a purpose. As you know, I am the new President of America. Nice title, don't you think? And my first order of business is to _kill all of you_. Now, it won't hurt a bit, just stay there." he said happily. The Cabinet erupted in a flurry of murmurs and hushed words, until one brave man spoke up. "Um, I apologize, Mr. President, but-"  
"Mr. President! Oh, I quite like that."  
"Of course, sir, but... what exactly do you mean?" he asked cautiously. The Master laughed heartily. "I mean what I said! I'm going to kill you. Isn't that superb?" he chuckled. Suddenly, one of the doors in the back of the room swung open, cracking against the wall, and a troop of men led snarling, growling, foaming wolves by leashes into the room. The savage creatures barked violently, tugging at their leashes, eager to rip the Cabinet apart. The Master leaned back in his chair, his face straight. He surveyed the room, watching the Cabinet members grow increasingly uneasy, some even edging out of their seats, and raised a single hand. With that, his attendants released the wolves and quickly fled out the door, closing it with a _bang_ behind them. The hounds leaped around the room, tearing at the people with their teeth and claws. The men and women screamed and pounded at the doors, pulling on them, to no avail as they were ripped apart, their blood spilling across the floor. The Master sat upon his wooden throne, watching the action with excitement and tapping the drum beats on the arm of his chair. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. The howls of the wolf and the screams and shrieks of the people were barely loud enough to be heard over the drumming. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Over and over. Louder and louder. A man threw himself upon Saxon's feet. "Please!" he yelled, blood running down his face and oozing out of a cavity in his chest. "_Please!_"  
Saxon leaned down close to the man. "Did I say it wouldn't hurt? Oh, I'm sorry. I lied." he admitted, laughing heartily and returning to his seat. A wolf pounced upon the man, and his terrified wails were abruptly silenced. The wolf stared up at the Master, but then turned away, returning to the kill. "Easy enough to train wolves to only kill humans, and not Time Lords." he muttered to himself, putting the tips of his fingers together and eagerly watching the rest of the massacre.


	4. Chapter 4

The deed was done. The hounds, their muzzles smeared with human blood, were corralled back into their pen as the remains of the Cabinet were mopped off the floor. Saxon lifted from his chair and left the room, leaving the janitors to do the rest of the clean-up. Now he was to employ new Cabinet members and tell the nation the murders were nothing but a tragic accident. He arranged a public appearance to inform the people of the event and then trudged down the stairs to the cellar of his elephantine mansion, where five people were locked in cages separately, like animals. The first cage was occupied by Rose Tyler, the second by her mother, Jackie, the third by her father Pete, the fourth by her brother Tony, and the fifth by her fiance, John Smith; better known as the human incarnation of the Doctor. The Master sat leaning up against the bars of Rose's cell, his knees to his chest. "Now that we have all this... _quality time_ with each other, we can finally speak. First off, why is Torchwood in America? I thought it was a _British_ institute." the Master speculated. Rose stared daggers at the man. "Why should I answer any of your questions?" she demanded. Saxon smiled and leaned in to whisper in her cell. "You shouldn't ask questions when your little brother is in my cage." he threatened. Rose's eyes widened in fear and she silently pleaded that John Smith, who was unconscious in the cell opposite her, would wake and somehow persuade the Master to stop. "There was a spike in Rift activity, and we wanted to check it out, so we set up shop in America."  
"And what came out of the Rift activity?"  
"You."  
"Wonderful. Now, where is the Doctor? The real Doctor, not his weak human counterpart."  
"I-I dunno. He's probably off in his T.A.R.D.I.S. somewhere, exploring the Universe. And even if I _did_ know, he couldn't get here."  
The Master got up, frustrated, but pasted a smile back on his face. "Well then, we'll just have to ask the Doctor, then. Shall we?" he said happily, skipping over to John Smith's cell and banging on the bars. "Wake up, Doctor! Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" he shouted into the human Doctor's ear. "Got him shipped here all the way from England." he explained to Rose. John Smith's eyes fluttered open weakly, and he started when he saw Harold Saxon. "Hello, Doctor. Miss me?" he asked sweetly. Smith backed against the back of his cell, cowering. "You're- you're dead! You killed the Time Lords and yourself, as well!" he insisted. Saxon rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, I expected to hear that bit. You have all the Doctor's memories, so I expect you know where the Doctor is presently." he said, getting straight to the point. John shook his head. "I can't tell you." he said quietly. The Master grinned. "Then I'll have the pleasure of eliminating your beloved Rose." he threatened, extending one hand behind him and preparing to blast Rose with the rivers of energy. John flung himself against the bars of his cell, pleading. "Oh, don't pull those big sad puppy eyes on me, _John Smith_. I can see right through your act. Now tell me. _Where. Is. The. Doctor_?"

"On Earth, in London! He's visiting his two former companions... Amy and Rory Pond." the human Doctor said frantically. Saxon grinned yet again, a malevolent smile, filled with seething hatred and evil. "Well then. I'll just have to pay him a visit, won't I?"  
He marched up the stairs, slamming the door to the cellar shut and deadbolt locking it several times. He called over a slave and commanded him to gather America's most brilliant scientists and inventors. Soon enough, five people were gathered in his dining room, seated uncomfortably at the table, with Saxon at the head. "I want all of you to create the most brilliant invention of your career. In two minutes, I will bring the most clever man in the Universe to this table, where you can get the information needed from him and begin the project." he said. He introduced the three men and two women to each other and excused himself while some of his slaves served the guests small sandwiches and coffee, then headed back down into the cellar and unlocked John Smith's cell, clapping manacles on his hands and placing a guard with a large gun in front of Rose's cell, the man's gun trained on her forehead. "Gentlemen, ladies. This is the man I was speaking so highly of earlier. John Smith, the cleverest man in the known Universe. Mr. Smith, won't you take a seat?" he said, pulling out a chair in mock kindness. Smith was roughly seated in the chair and guarded by two women with guns. "If you make any plans to escape," the Master whispered, his lips close to John Smith's ear. "These wonderful ladies will blow your brains out. And you can't regenerate."  
Smith paled and put his hands on the table, wincing as the manacles clanked on the polished wood. "We're going to create a dimension jumper, so that I can travel from this Universe to another. And you'll do it in a week, or I'll have you all killed." Saxon demanded. He took a seat at the head of the table and threw his hand into the air. "Begin!"

"Um... Mr. President? Mr. Saxon? Ex-Excuse me, uh, Mr. President." a tentative man spoke, rousing Saxon from his sleep. He groggily sat up in his chair and surveyed the six people seated. "What is it?" he demanded impatiently. John Smith finished tweaking something on a device that appeared to be a remote control and handed it to the Master. "We've finished the dimension jumper." he said. The Master grinned and examined the device. "Wonderful. Guards, put him back in his cell." he commanded the women still standing sentry behind John Smith. They dragged him from the table and tossed him down the stairs, where the clank of metal on metal rang up from the cellar. The Master let the brilliant minds leave and he looked down in excitement at the dimension jumper. There was a large red button in the center, surrounded by different knobs and switches to control the device. He set the gadget for the right time and place and vanished in a cloud of green dust.


	5. Chapter 5

Harold Saxon landed in a small neighborhood, in front of a little blue house with an expensive-looking red car parked out front. He slid the dimension jumper into his pocket and approached the mailbox, peering at the silver engraving on it. It read: _Pond, _and the Master smiled. He programmed the jumper perfectly. His fist was raised in the air, and he knocked on the sparkling blue door four times, to match the drumming that always pounded in his head and bounced around his skull. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. He heard laughter and someone coming to answer the door. It flung open and he was greeted by a beautiful woman with shockingly red hair and a sprinkle of freckles. "Hello." she said in a thick Scottish accent. Saxon smiled winningly. "Hello. My name is Harold Saxon. You called for an exterminator?" he asked. She looked slightly confused. "You're a bit well-dressed for an exterminator, aren't you?" she inquired. He looked down at his clean, sharp suit and grimaced quickly to himself. "I suppose. You _did_ call." he insisted, pouring all the hypnotism he had into his words and tapping the four-note beat on his thigh. Her green eyes glazed over and she nodded, stepping aside and letting her in. She led Saxon to the dining room, where a man with short brown hair and a large nose was talking to someone in the kitchen. "Don't rush it, you'll burn the chips!" he called. The woman left the Master at the archway leading into the dining room and went in to whisper to the man. He looked suspiciously at Saxon before standing and shaking his man. "Hello, I'm Rory and this is my wife Amy. I-I don't think we called an exterminator. You must have the wrong house." he explained. Saxon smiled and whipped his laser screwdriver out of his pocket, beaming lasers at the Ponds and holding them in paralysis, though not killing them. "You stay right there." he said redundantly. Harry turned away from the couple and skipped past them into the kitchen, where a man with a broad forehead and even larger chin stood with a flowery apron wrapped around his torso and cooking mitts protecting his hands, fishing a tray of chips out of the oven. "Alright-y then! The chips came out quite nicely, Amy. Your mother's recipe is brilliant! Now then, shall we-" he turned and saw it was the Master he was speaking too instead of Amelia Pond. He looked taken aback. "Master? You're-you're dead!" he insisted, which determined for the Master that this was indeed the Doctor, whom he was looking for, though with a different face. "Time Lords, huh? Always coming back to bother you!"  
Before the Doctor could say another word, Saxon grabbed his wrist and slapped the big red button on the dimension jumper, teleporting himself and the Doctor to his mansion, exactly where he was when he jumped dimensions to the original Earth. He still had hold of the Doctor, but guards were waiting to slap manacles on his wrists and ankles and throw him into a cell beside Rose's. He pressed himself against the bars and reached his arm out to the Master. "Master, stop!" he pleaded. Saxon turned and faced him. "Yes, Doctor?" he said sweetly. The Doctor's eyes were pleading. "Master, please. Leave them alone." he begged. Saxon pursed his lips, seeming to consider the offer. "Hm... no." he said with a stunning smile, whirling around and sprinting up the stairs. The prisoners in the cellar heard the door slammed shut and the Doctor caught sight of John Smith in the cell across the room from him. "Doctor? Oh, that sounds weird. _I'm_ the Doctor. But you are too." he said to himself. John Smith got closer to the bars of his cell. "Do you have your sonic screwdriver?" he asked. "No, the Master took it from me when he grabbed me."  
"Doctor?" Rose looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. He looked back down at her, his expression softening as he stared at her. "Rose..." he said quietly, rushing to the bars that separated her and him. She reached her hands through the bars and he took them. "You've regenerated again. Why d'you have to keep doing that?" she said with a smile. The Doctor returned it, and she looked up at his bow-tie. Rose tore her hands from his and straightened the maroon bow-tie. "I like it." she grinned. He looked down at it and leaned in, pressing his forehead against the bars. They were interrupted by John Smith clearing his throat. Rose and the Doctor looked over and he was fiddling with his red tie, saying, "Anyway...", his cheeks red. Rose seemed to realize she was engaged, and the Doctor realized he was married, though it appeared they still had feelings for each other. "So... what're we gonna do about the Master?" she asked the Doctor. He frowned. "You have to give him an option." John Smith said. The Doctor was about to reply when Jackie reached through the bars and yanked him over to her. "What's this? The _Doctor_? You've regenerated _again_?" she demanded. He looked flustered and try to pull away from her reach, but her grip on his forearm was tight. "What is that you're wearing? A tweed jacket? Suspenders? A _bo  
w-tie_? Doctor, your fashion sense certainly hasn't improved." she laughed. He wrenched his arm from her grip and straightened his hair, disgruntled. "No it hasn't!" he insisted. Smith again cleared his throat. "Jackie, enough. We've got to figure out how to persuade the Master out of this." he reasoned with her. She returned to minding her own business with Pete while the three could have a conversation. Tony was sitting in the middle of his cell, playing with his airplane, which the Master permitted he keep with him. "You've got to give him a choice." Smith said again. The Doctor paced his cell vigorously. "Do I?" He asked. Rose ran to him. "Doctor!" she shouted, bringing him out of his mood. "I'm sorry Rose, um..." he paused, looking Smith up and down. "Me. I'm sorry. I've dealt with him _twice_ now, but this time he's threatening someone I love. I'm not in the mood for third chances." he said darkly. "We know, but you have to give him a choice." Rose reasoned.  
"Tell him to either resign as President or... we'll have to stop him." John Smith said. The Doctor fiddled with his bowtie. "Yes, yes, I suppose you're right. We'll have to get him down here."

As if in reply, the door to the cellar swung open and the Master trudged down the stairs, greeting his prisoners. "Now. Time to start a nuclear war."


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor looked at him incredulously. "What?" he demanded. The Master grinned wickedly. "If I can't rule this planet, I want to destroy it."  
John Smith took a step back. "Master, you can't destroy the planet!" He objected. Saxon smirked. "Can't I?" he said quietly. He made his way over to the Doctor's cell, grimacing at his ugly maroon bow-tie. "Bow-ties, Doctor? Really, I think I liked your previous incarnation much better. Anyway, did you miss your beloved Rose?" he mocked sweetly. The Doctor leaned close to the Master, so their faces were almost touching, separated only by the cold steel bars. "Master. I missed our shenanigans." he murmured. The Master sneered at the Doctor. "Is that so? I thought you hated it." he admitted. The Doctor smiled slightly. "But you can't do this. There are seven billion people on this planet, all innocent. You've already come to power, do you need more?" he interrogated.  
"You know I do."  
"Then take another planet. Just leave Rose's planet alone. Or..."  
"Or what?"  
"You could travel in the T.A.R.D.I.S. with me. We could go anywhere in the Universe. Just promise me, _promise me_, you'll stop this."  
"I won't." his evil grin chilled everyone but him to the bone. He slipped the Doctor's sonic screwdriver out of the inside pocket of his suit and showed it off to its owner, grimacing. "Nice new sonic screwdriver, though I really don't understand why you _insist_ upon it being sonic. Oh, you can get _so_ much more accomplished using a _laser_ screwdriver." he pulled out his own laser screwdriver, comparing it to the Doctor's sonic. Suddenly, he threw the sonic screwdriver up into the air and blasted it to charred remains with the laser setting on the laser screwdriver. The flaming metal clattered to the ground, and the Master kicked it into the Doctor's cell. "There you go. Happy?"  
"Not nearly."  
"Good. Oh, don't worry about your silly screwdriver. The T.A.R.D.I.S. always comes through for you, doesn't she?" another malevolent grin. The Master straightened his tie and brushed himself off, looking decent. "Well, you'll understand if I must fly. The President of America has so many things to do in a day, so many... _people_ to protect." he sneered, his eyes shining with insanity. With a merry laugh, he danced up the stairs and out of the cellar, leaving the Doctor to cradle his precious, yet destroyed, sonic screwdriver. Rose leaned in, trying to assess the damage. "Dad?" she called, speaking to him, though he was two small cells away from her. He looked up from Jackie. "Yes?"  
"You can fix it, can't you?"  
"I dunno, dear. I don't know anything about sonic screwdrivers or Time Lord technology. And I don't have anything to work with! Even if I knew _anything_ about it, I doubt I would be able to fix it, given the fact the Doctor knows so much more than I do, and if he can't fix it... nobody can." he sighed, looking defeated. Rose stood, aggravated. "Come on!" she yelled. "There's gotta be _something_! From what John's told me, the Doctor has defeated the Master several times, and how is this any different? You've been chained up, aged, locked away in a cage, and yet you _still_ managed to find a way out of it. If anyone can save us, the _Doctor can." _she insisted. "Rose..." the Doctor whispered, a tone of despair and desperation in his voice. He sat leaning against the back wall of his cell, his knees to his chin, staring blankly out of his cell. She looked down at him, angry. "What? What is it? You can't stop the Master this time? And why's that? Because he destroyed your precious sonic screwdriver?" she spat. John Smith could be heard trying to coax Tony into something on the other side of the room. "It's alright. We'll get rid of the bad man, we just need that." he whispered. Tony reluctantly handed him the boy's toy plane, and John Smith slid the toy across the room, where it collided with a _clang_ on the Doctor's cell. He scooted forward, snatching the plane and studying it. "We're never _absolutely_ defenseless." he insisted, giving the Doctor a purposeful look. The Time Lord studied the plane for a few seconds and then began tearing it apart and fixing some pieces on the sonic screwdriver. After a few minutes of frantic working, he held in his hands a ridiculous-looking, functional sonic screwdriver. "Perfect." he said, peering at it and trying to see any faults in the object. Rose grinned. "See? What'd I tell you?"

"There's something wrong..." the Doctor frowned. Jackie rolled her eyes. "There was something wrong _five minutes ago!_ Can't you properly fix _anything_?" she whined. The Doctor didn't look up from the screwdriver. "Patience, Jackie. I've just gotta tweak one more thing and then it should unlock the door." he said, twisting a wire around his finger and holding the screwdriver in his mouth. He wound the length of wire over a few buttons and then pressed the main button, lighting up at the familiar buzzing emitting from the device. "Brilliant." he whispered in awe. He stood, stretching out cramped legs, and pressed the tip of the screwdriver to the lock of his cell, pressing the main button and hearing the satisfying _click_ of the lock opening. He pushed open the cell door, wincing at its loud creaking and grating, and slipped out, hurriedly unlocking everyone else's cells. Rose ran to her brother and led him to Pete and Jackie. "Mum, dad, it's not safe here for you and Tony. Take him and go to Marie's house. Tell her the whole story and she'll know where to keep you until we sort this out." she commanded. Jackie nodded and hefted Tony into her arms, and silenced Pete before he could protest. "The boy needs his daddy." she insisted, snatching Pete's hand and following the Doctor and John Smith as they crept upstairs. The door was slightly ajar, and John Smith could spot two guards stationed in front of the door before he whirled around and corralled everyone back downstairs. "Two guards at the door. We need some sort of weapon." he whispered hurriedly. Everyone set to work combing through the dark, grimy room for anything that could be used as weapons, despite the Doctor's protests. "We don't need to hurt them!" he objected. John Smith whirled around, fire in his eyes. "And what do you expect us to do? Ask them to politely let us go and kill the Master?" he snarled. Rose looked over at him, surprised. "Doctor!" she exclaimed. Rose blushed and glanced at the real Doctor. "I-I mean John Smith. John. Sorry."  
"Well? What else can we do? Even the Doctor knows that violence in the right situations is alright!"  
"Yes but that doesn't mean I support it!"  
"Then you just stay behind the group as we defend ourselves and our lives." John Smith said, scooping up a length of pipe from the corner of the room, shaking the cobwebs off of it. Soon, Rose, her father, and the Doctor, though against his will, were armed and ready to attack. They again slunk up the stairs and pushed open the door. John Smith and Peter Tyler were the first to attack, clobbering the guards' heads with their weapons, just hard enough to knock them unconscious, but not hard enough to kill or seriously injure. The Doctor grimaced at the sight as Smith and Rose rifled through their pockets and discovered two guns and some explosives. "Brilliant." Smith said, tucking the explosives into his pockets and cocking the gun. He looked around and spotted the door leading out of the Master's mansion. "Jackie, Pete, you take Tony and lead him out of here. Do what Rose said and get to Marie's house. She might let you stay in Torchwood. Go on!" he instructed them. They followed his orders without argument and left Rose, the Doctor, and John Smith were left alone in the cold, dry mansion. They looked at each other, and John Smith slipped a knife out of one guards' uniform. "Here, take this." he said, handing the dagger to the Doctor. He reluctantly reached forward to grip the smooth leather handle, grimacing. Rose loaded and cocked her handgun. "Let's do this." she said firmly.


End file.
